“Chocolate is a divine, celestial drink, the sweat of the stars, the vital seed, divine nectar, the drink of the gods, panacea and universal medicine.”
— Geronimo Piperni
Knowing the energies of different foods can help create a more balanced diet and cuisine.
An ancient healing principle popular through many traditions, including European folk herbalism, is called: “curing by contraries.” This principle provides that “cooling” herbs and foods heal a “hot” fever. Foods are often classified by this principle. According to this method of classification, cacao is cooling.
As a general rule, the foods of civilisation (potato products, meats, breads, cheeses) are heating, and thus cooling foods, such as cucumbers, celery, or cacao have great value.
Foods may also be classified as wet or dry. Many raw foods are generally wet, such as fresh juices, salads, fruits, coconuts and others. Cacao, however, has a drying property. We have noticed through living on chocolate beverages without solid food for days at a time, that our bowel elimination cycles are solid, perfect and dry.
In terms of balancing the energy of cacao in your own chocolate alchemy, consider that cacao is considered to have a cooling, drying energy. It balances excessive heat in the body and dampness. This would mean that chocolate is good for a fever or for diarrhea. It also means that cacao has great synergy with heating and/or wet substances. Hence, we see the unique alchemy of cacao, cayenne and hot water in the ancient Mayan and Aztec beverage.
Foods also fall on the spectrum of female and male (yin and yang) energies — some herbs and plants have more male (yang) qualities, such as hot chilies, durian (exotic fruit) and ginseng (herb). And some have more female (yin) qualities, such as passion fruit, papaya and pau d’arco (herb). Cacao is male, but slightly effeminate (subtly yang), so it has slightly better synergy with female energies and female plants, but that tendency is slight.
If all that was not enough, we also find that if cacao is abused, a hidden subtle heating energy can begin to arise, shift the alchemical dynamics and cause headaches. This is probably the methylxanthines (theobromine and caffeine) accumulating in the liver and body. Abuses of cacao would include: eating too much cooked cacao (chocolate products), eating raw cacao every day without rest, and eating more than 60 cacao beans in a day. As with any food, one should observe cycles of consumption and rest.
Due to its concentration of neurotransmitter modulating agents and unique chemistry, cacao itself has some powerful psychoactive, brain-enhancing properties. Our experience has been that cacao retains much stronger psychoactive properties when eaten “naked” — without blending or heating.
We know, for example, that contact with metal destroys as much as 50% of the vitamin C in fruits. A similar principle is at work here with the cacao (which, by the way, is extraordinarily high in vitamin C!). One or more of the psychoactive chemical compounds in cacao is diminished by exposure to metal (knives, blending). More cacao is required to get the same psychoactive effects if you blend or cut them with metal — instead of eating them naturally, plain, naked.
The loss of potency ratio seems to be that 5 naked cacao beans are equivalent to 12-15 blended cacao beans. This is entirely subjective. It is just a guess based on our experience and sensory acuity. Test and experiment with this yourself. You may find, as we have, that it is great to grind cacao down with a stone mortar and pestle before adding it to smoothies and drinks, that way you do not have to expose the cacao to too much blending.
We are both sold on the fact that organic food (grown without pesticides) is far superior to conventional food (chemical-grown food) in its taste, appearance, mineral-content and sustainability. We always recommend that you choose organic ingredients for all your culinary and dietary needs.
In the inscriptions of the Mayan glyphs, the word for cacao is often modified by adjectives such as “chili cacao” or “fruity cacao” indicating different common recipe combinations. The Aztecs probably inherited recipes for making cacao drinks from their Mayan predecessors. The basic technique was to grind raw cacao beans on a metate warmed by a small fire underneath. Hot water was added to turn the cacao into a paste. More hot water was added to the paste in a jug creating a bitter hot chocolate. Then the mixture was whipped with a wooden molinillo (The ancient molinillo was made out of the dried and cut tepihilote palm. By using both hands a rotary motion of the molinillo can be created. As the spinning molinillo is dipped into the chocolate drink it blends and whisks the ingredients — a natural blender!). The drink was finally poured from one jug-container to another until a frothy beverage was produced. This could be drunk straight or other ingredients could be added. Common ancient cacao drink additives included:
Aak (a type of grass used as a foaming agent)
Achiote (annatto seed, Bixa orellana)
Agave cactus nectar
Allspice (Pimienta dioica)
Cempoaxochitl (Tagetes erecta) (Cempazuchil, Cempasuchil, or Flor del Muerto; the flower for the Day of the
Dead, a Mexican Marigold)
Eloxochitl (Magnolia dealbata)
Honey
Hot chilies (Capsicum, spp.)
Hueinacaztli or Teonacaztli or Xochinacaztli (an Annonaceae or Cherimoya family flower, Cymbopetalum penduliflorum)
Itsim-te (Clerodendrum ligustrinum)
Izquixochitl, popcorn flower (Bourreria, spp.)
Maize (corn) or Nixtamalli (Masa harina) (corn flour
treated with lime)
Mamey sapote (the heart of the sapote seed was often
used, Pouteria sapota)
Olloxochitl or Heart flower (Magnolia mexicana)
Passion fruit (Passiflora, spp.)
Pochotl (seeds of the ceiba tree, Ceiba pentandra)
Quararibea funebris flowers (Poyomatli)
Spirulina
Suqir (a vine which acts as a foaming agent)
String flower (a relative of kava, Piper sanctum)
Vanilla (Vanilla planfolia)
The chocolate drink served in Montezuma’s court was seasoned with chilies, achiote, vanilla and corn. The resulting drink, served cold, was spicy and usually bitter, although honey was occasionally used. When the Spanish arrived, they had mixed opinions about the drink, yet the practice of chocolate alchemy eventually won through. One Spanish soldier wrote that cacao “would be better thrown to the pigs than consumed by men.” A recipe written down in 1631 by Spanish physician Antonio Colmenero records the following: “For every hundred cacao beans, mix two pods of chile or Mexican pepper … or, failing those, two Indian peppercorns, a handful of aniseeds, two of those flowers known as ‘little ears’ or vinacaxtlides, and two of those known as mesasuchi … Instead of the latter, one could include the powder of six roses of Alexandria, a little pod of logwood, two drachmas of cinnamon, a dozen almonds and as many hazelnuts, half a pound of sugar, and enough annatto to give colour to the whole.”
Cacao has a great affinity for certain plants. Of these, certain major plant friends that are on the inner family circle deserve further exploration:
One of cacao’s best friends is the agave cactus (which we sometimes call the “century plant”). When the agave plant is mature, which takes anywhere from ten to twelve years, and begins shooting up a flowering stalk, the trunk of the stalk is cut, the stalk removed, and the base where the stalk had been is scooped out. Large quantities of hydrating, cooling, watery sap pour forth, and can be collected in bowls over a period of several weeks. This sap naturally ferments into a mild wine that the ancients called octli or pulque. Agave sap was often consumed with cacao in ancient Mexico City.
If the entire mature agave plant is dissolved with chemicals and enzymes and cooked, it can be turned into a sweetener known as agave syrup or agave nectar. The highest quality agave syrups are clear with slightly yellow overtones. If the entire mature agave plant is heat distilled into a hard alcohol, it is called tequila.
Cacao has great synergy with flowers in general and the pollen of flowers in particular. The Aztec Lord of the Flowers, Xochipilli, was the god most associated with cacao in that pantheon.
Bee pollen is the pollen produced by flowers that honey bees gather and bring back to the hive. Pollen grains are microscopic in size and bees collect millions of these individual grains and connect them with nectar into small pellets.
Bee pollen is an alkaline food considered by nutritionists to be the most complete food found in nature.
Bee pollen is a rich source of high-quality protein and contains all essential amino acids. Its high levels of protein and amino acids make it a great strength builder and brain food. Some of the amino acids present include: cystine, lysine, histidine, arginine, aspartic acid, threonine, glutamine, proline, glycine, alanine, valine, methionine, isoleucine, leucine, tyrosine, phenylalanine and tryptophan.
Some of the minerals found in bee pollen include: barium, boron, calcium, copper, iodine, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, sodium and zinc.
Bee pollen contains vitamins A, B, C and E. It is extraordinarily rich in most of the B vitamins, including folic acid (folate).
Bee pollen contains over 5,000 enzymes. The phytonutrients (such as coenzymes, bioflavonoids, phytosterols and carotenoids) found in bee pollen also number in the thousands. Bee pollen is 15% natural lecithin.
Some of the benefits of bee pollen consumption include:
• Increases energy and stamina
• Increases muscle growth and definition
• Builds immune system
• Has antioxidant activity
• Enhances sexuality and fertility
• Smoothes wrinkles
Carob is an alkaline, legume fruit with a cacao-like taste. It is often used as a substitute for chocolate, but it just does not cut the mustard, if you know what we mean. Cacao has eight times as much protein, nine times as much fat, ten times as much phosphorus, over six times as much iron, twice as much potassium, twice as much riboflavin, fifty percent more niacin and only six percent more calories. However, when carob is used in conjunction with cacao, the real magic is revealed. The rich calcium content of carob combines alchemically with the rich magnesium content of cacao creating a most fantastic taste explosion.
Cacao has great synergy with many nuts and seeds. Perhaps cacao’s favourite nut is the cashew. The cashew, like cacao, is the seed of the fruit of an American jungle tree. The cashew, like cacao, is high in magnesium. Cashews are loved by many probably because they contain more sugars (carbohydrates) than other nuts.
If you find yourself looking for raw cashews, keep in mind that most cashews sold on the market, even if labelled “raw” are not actually raw! They have been heat steamed. Look for cashews that are certified as truly raw! We like the ones with their paper-like, creamy-tasting skins still intact.
Universally popular throughout Central America from ancient times to the present is the addition of spicy, hot peppers (Capsicum annum) to chocolate. Ground, dried chilies were part of the Mayan sacred drink. Ground, powdered chili pepper is now often called cayenne. The sulphur-rich components of hot peppers (cayenne) dilate capillaries allowing cacao and all its goodies to reach the cells more easily.
Cinnamon is a tropical tree bark that originally comes from Asia. Cinnamon is a great source of the mineral chromium which helps balance blood sugar levels. If you sweeten your cacao drinks or treats we recommend that you use cinnamon to help balance the effects of the sugar on your bloodstream. Cinnamon has a spicy component which helps to dilate capillaries and deliver fat-soluble goodies found in cacao.
Cinnamon bark
All parts and derivate products of the coconut work wonderfully with cacao. Coconut and cacao love each other.
Coconut water is the breast milk of mother earth. Coconut water is the highest natural source of electrolytes. And this water is the perfect base for any cacao drink.
Coconut flesh is the “meat” on the inside of the coconut. In young coconuts this flesh is soft, in older coconuts this flesh is hard. In general, young coconuts with their “spoon meat” are much more fun than the hard, fibrous, tough mature coconut flesh. Young coconut flesh is a great rejuvenator of sexual energy. When young coconut flesh is blended with coconut water, the mixture is called coconut milk. Coconut milk is another great base for your cacao drink!
Coconut oil/butter is the oil from the mature, hard coconut flesh. Coconut oil contains antiviral, antimicrobial and antifungal properties. It has the highest level of energy of any oil and the least calories. It also requires the least amount of liver strength to digest.
Coconut oil is a fantastic builder of hormones — especially progesterone and testosterone.
Progesterone and testosterone tend to help increase biological levels of the feel-good neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin.
We recommend coconut oil as a standard addition to any cacao drink or treat.
Coconut oil, as with any oil, should be cold-pressed and packaged in dark glass bottles (not plastic, as plastic can leach into coconut oil).
Honey is a universal medicine, sweetener and nutrient resource. A tremendous amount of research on honey has been done in Russia over the last hundred years. This research indicates: that honey is nature’s richest source of healing enzymes and that honey increases reflexes, increases mental alertness and even increases IQ! Some types of Manuka honeys from the New Zealand rainforests have been shown to have antifungal, antibiotic and antiviral effects. All honey should be eaten raw, as cooked honey has no enzymes.
Honey is inappropriate for children under the age of one.
Maca is the great superfood coming out of Peru. Maca is a radish-like root, that is generally sold in its dried, powdered form.
Maca is found growing at elevations of over 10,500 feet in the Altiplano region of the Andes. Its natural zone is an inhospitable region of intense sunlight, violent winds and below freezing weather. With its extreme temperatures and poor rocky soil, the area rates amongst the world’s worst farmland, yet over the centuries, maca flourishes under these conditions.
Maca has been used as an immunostimulant, for anaemia, to stop bone-mineral loss, enhance memory, fight stomach cancer, as well as to alleviate depression, menstrual disorders, menopause symptoms, sterility and other reproductive and sexual disorders.
Maca increases overall vigour — especially sexual stamina and appetite. All you have to do is dip a peeled cacao bean in agave nectar or honey and then dip it in maca powder. Once you do that, you will know the truth.
Mint is the only green-leafy food that really generates magic with cacao. Working on a similar principle to cayenne, the menthols in mint dilate blood capillaries allowing cacao’s magic to be delivered. Additionally, mint, being a green-leafy vegetable, contains high levels of calcium which synergise with the magnesium in cacao.
Have you ever wondered why peanuts and chocolate go so well together? Did you know that they have thousands of years of history of being mixed together in Amazonian shamanism? The Amazonian jungle peanut is perhaps the highest natural source of vitamin B3. Vitamin B3 (niacin) is an excellent cardiovascular dilator, just like the theobromine and theophylline found in cacao! The Amazonian jungle peanut and cacao, when mixed together, make for an outstanding delivery system for herbs and superfoods because they dilate our cardiovascular system allowing for nutrients and herbal medicines to get to our cells more easily.
The Amazonian jungle peanut is the world’s original, ancient, toxin-free peanut. Bursting with flavor, these peanuts contain 40% oleic acid, 26% protein, all 8 essential amino acids, vitamin B2, B3, B6 and B9, vitamin E, and co-enzyme Q10.
Depending on growing conditions, jungle peanuts may contain boron, calcium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, phosphorous, potassium, selenium, sodium and zinc.
Peanuts are a significant source of anti-aging resveratrol. This compound helps fight cardiovascular disease and lowers cancer risk.
Spirulina is the great protein-rich, superfood algae grown by the ancient Aztecs and still available to us today in health-food stores. Spirulina contains more protein than any other food on earth. The ancients ate it with cacao. We recommend that you try it too!
Vanilla is the only orchid fruit produced by more than 35,000 orchid varieties around the world. Orchids are the largest family of flowering plants in the world. Orchids are breatharian plants — this means they can survive just on air and ambient moisture alone. And vanilla is the fruit of this plant! No wonder vanilla is so incredible! Usually called vanilla beans, we recommend that you blend a vanilla bean right into your chocolate drink or, even better, make a tea with a vanilla bean in it and use it as the base of your chocolate drink.
Only two of the fifty vanilla orchid species have commercial value, Vanilla planifolia and Vanilla tahitensis, but they all have the aphrodisiac magic. Vanilla’s energy is female and so it combines naturally well with the male cacao. Vanilla orchids can actually naturally grow in cacao trees! In most mythologies, vanilla and cacao were divine lovers who eventually took plant form.
The Totonacs, who still survive in the Gulf coast region of their ancestors, in the modern Mexican state of Veracruz, gave both the vanilla bean, which they called tlilxochitl, and the orchid, xanath, major places in their religion and culture. According to Totonac myth, when the world was fresh and still frequented by deities, a beautiful young goddess, Xanath, visited the Earth and fell in love with a Totonac warrior. As a goddess — and daughter of the great goddess who ensured fertility — Xanath could not marry a mortal, but neither could she bring herself to abandon him. She ultimately resolved her predicament by bestowing herself upon her lover and his people in the form of the first vanilla vine. The blossoming and fruiting of this heavenly plant, so runs the myth, would provide the Totonacs a source of eternal happiness.
At least a thousand years ago the Totonacs worked out a means of processing the beans very much like the methods used today in commercial vanilla extraction, and they began to make vanilla an integral part of their culture. In addition to using it as a perfume and as a flavouring for food and drink, the Totonacs found that vanilla was effective as a medicine, an aphrodisiac and an insect repellent.
Cacao has many old and new friends that have not quite made it to the inner circle yet. This list is by no means complete, and we thought we would list it anyway to provide hints and clues as to how to make the best chocolate drinks and treats ever, while having great fun!
Aloe vera is a beautifying, longevity food of the highest order. The inner gel has great synergy with cacao when blended in drinks. The mucopolysaccharides in aloe vera contain monoatomic rhodium, a magical substance. Aloe makes cacao drinks creamier and gives more body and texture without detracting from the taste.
Aloe ferox is the Latin name for ‘wild Aloe’. Aloe ferox belongs to the Lilaceae plant family. It is neither irrigated nor treated with pesticides or insecticides. Containing three times as many polysaccharides than normal aloe vera, this plant is so strong that its survival is sustained through the strength of its own immune system. The proportion of amino acids (proteins) is two to one in comparison with aloe vera. It also contains considerably more iron and calcium.
Cacao is odd in that, as a nut, it has better synergy with algae (blue-green algae, spirulina, golden algae) than with green-leafy vegetables. Blue-green algae from Klamath Lake, Oregon has become a popular dried food among healthseekers the world over. This blue-green algae is a wild food with a fantastic array of brain-specific phytochemicals, a huge selection of antioxidants, minerals (especially zinc, selenium and magnesium), amino acids (it is a complete protein), vitamins, enzymes and many other unique nutrients.
A study looking at blue-green algae as brain food followed 109 students who were fed blue-green algae, and concluded that the children had a significant improvement in the ability to focus, follow directions and concentrate. In addition the children experienced a reduction in argumentative, demanding, and combative behaviour, fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression, an improvement in social skills, and fewer signs of emotional and behavioural withdrawal.
Blue-green algae is one of the richest food sources of antioxidant compounds, including carotenoids, chlorophyll and phycocyanin. These carotenoids include beta carotene, lycopene and lutein.
The antioxidant phycocyanin is a pigment that provides the intense blue colour in blue-green algae. It can constitute up to 15% of the dry weight of a blue-green algae harvest. Phycocyanin has intrinsic anti-inflammatory, liver protective and selective antitumor properties. Also found with the blue pigments in algae is a super-concentrated level of phenylethylamine (PEA).
Like cacao, blue-green algae seems to inhibit appetite and help people lose weight. In a double-blind crossover study involving human patients, supplementing the diets of obese individuals with 2.8 grams of blue-green algae three times daily over a four-week period resulted in a statistically significant reduction of body weight.
Cherries are one of the best food sources of iron. Cherries are also a great source of antioxidants as well. The dark red pigments and flavourful sugars of fresh cherries make wonderful additions to your cacao cuisine. Yet the most incredible thing about cherries is their abnormally high concentration of the tryptamine, melatonin. As cacao naturally synergizes and activates tryptamines, we find deep spiritual and psychoactive significance in this combination. Try it yourself and see!
Citrus has an interesting interaction with cacao. Sweet citrus juice does not mix well with cacao, however, the more bitter and sour juices of citrus do mix well. The solid matter of citrus also mixes well, such as lemon or lime peel. The essential oil of orange also has a beautiful synergy with cacao.
Durian captures the title as the most exotic of all fruits. Durian, like cacao, has psychoactive properties typically attributed to its high concentration of the tryptamine, tryptophan. The flesh of the fruit (each section looks like a pillow) is a fantastic taste mixture that reminds one of banana, cream and nuts, with a hint of onion.
Hemp and its seed have been used in medicine since about 2300 BCE, when the Chinese Emperor Shen-Nung prescribed Chu-ma (female hemp) for the treatment of beriberi, constipation, gout, malaria, menstrual problems and rheumatism. He classified Chu-ma as one of the Elixirs of Immortality. Besides its popularity in ancient China, the cultivation and use of hemp has been documented by many other great civilisations, including: Arabian, Egyptian, Indian, Medieval European, Persian, Roman and Sumerian. Hemp varieties were likely present and in common usage in the Americas when Columbus arrived.
Hemp seed is a complete protein. Hemp is not unique in having all the essential amino acids in its seed. Flax seeds also contain all the essential amino acids as do many other seeds. What is unique about hemp-seed protein is that 65% of it is globulin edestin — the highest found in the plant kingdom. The globulin edestin in hemp seed closely resembles that found in human blood plasma, and it is therefore easily digested, absorbed and utilised. Hemp edestin is so completely compatible with the human digestive system, that the Czechoslovakian Tubercular Nutrition Study (1955) found hemp seed to be the only food that can successfully treat the consumptive disease tuberculosis, in which the nutritive processes are impaired.
Additionally, phytosterols, of which hemp seed contains 438 mg/100g, have been shown to reduce total serum cholesterol by an average of 10% and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol by an average of 13%. Hemp seed and the antioxidants in cacao work synergistically to reduce “bad” cholesterol.
In addition to containing the basic human nutrient groups, hemp foods have a high content of antioxidants (92.1 mg/100g) in the form of alpha-, beta-, gamma-, and delta-tocopherol and alpha-tocotrienol. These are all part of the vitamin E family. Cacao has tremendous synergy with the vitamin E family — especially creamy tocotrienols (rice bran) which add wonderful flavour and texture components to cacao cuisine, while increasing nutritional value.
Hempseed oil, in particular, is a favourite addition to the cacao beverage. Hempseed oil is one of the only food oils to contain the direct metabolites of the essential fatty acids (EFAs): linoleic and alpha-linolenic acids. The metabolites are gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) and stearidonic acid (SDA). Because of this, it can circumvent an impaired essential fatty acid metabolism and physical compromises arising from genetic factors, intake of too many other fats, aging and lifestyle patterns.
GLA (a unique omega 6 fatty acid found in spirulina and hemp seed) causes the body’s inflammation response to be shut off.
Udo Erasmus, author of Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill, listed hemp seed as the number one food for human consumption found in nature in early editions of his book (of course, now we know that the number one food is actually cacao). At any rate, Udo Erasmus states that the proportions of linoleic acid (LA or omega 6) and linolenic acid (LNA or omega 3) in hemp seed oil are perfectly balanced to meet human requirements for essential fatty acids (EFAs), including gamma-linoleic acid (GLA). Unlike flaxseed oil and others, hempseed oil can be used continuously without developing a deficiency or other imbalance of EFAs. The peroxide value (PV, the degree of rancidity) of hempseed oil is only 0.1-0.5, which is very low and safe and does not spoil its taste. In comparison, the PV of virgin olive oil is about 20, and the PV of corn oil ranges from 40-60.
The mango refers to the fantastic fruit of India’s favorite tree. More people on the earth have eaten mangos than apples. The mango has antiviral, antiseptic and antiparasitic properties. Mango, like papaya, adds the wonderful fruitiness of the tropics to all your cacao concoctions.
Noni is an exotic tropical fruit superfood, just like cacao! Fresh noni provides unlimited levels of energy, psychoactive effects, along with anti-inflammatory and medicinal properties. Noni gave the Polynesians the power and strength to explore the Pacific Ocean. Noni’s magic is not just given away however; one must pay the admission fee of dealing with its intense spoiled-cheese odour and overpowering taste, but it’s worth it!
Noni is one of our favourite additions to the chocolate beverage. Simply take the fresh and ripe or fermenting noni fruit and blend it with coconut water or simply water. Strain away the seeds and seed chunks. Then add cacao and your other favourite ingredients. Fresh sugarcane juice works great as it masks the intense flavour and smell of the noni.
Papaya is a great source of the protealytic enzyme papain. This enzyme is in greater concentrations in the unripe or half-ripe fruits as papain is the substance that protects the papaya from insect and bird predators. Papaya helps to amplify cacao’s zany, fruity character. The antiparasitical papaya seeds can be blended in with the papaya for a more peppery taste sensation.
Not only does passion fruit add nice fruity overtones to cacao concoctions, there also exists a synergistic relationship with cacao and the ground up seeds of passion fruit. The seeds of passion fruit contain a relaxing substance normally broken down by our digestive tract. However, it appears that some yet unnamed compound in cacao blocks the complete breakdown of this substance allowing its sedative effect to be felt. It is of note that members of the Passiflora genus contain monoamine oxidase inhibitors in the flowers and thus have entheogenic amplifying properties.
Pineapple is a great source of the anti-inflammatory enzyme bromelain. Pineapples are indigenous to the Americas. As far as an acid-fruit is concerned, pineapple has even better synergy with cacao than citrus fruits.
Raspberry has hormone influencing properties. The fruit is generally considered an aphrodisiac. The leaves of raspberry are often used medicinally as a tea to influence female hormone cycles. This tea and/or the fruit can be blended with cacao.
Tobacco (Nicotiana spp.) denotes a medicinal plant indigenous to the Americas which has become well-known for its abuses and excesses. Tobacco is perhaps the greatest shamanistic plant of them all. Tobacco is actually a powerful antiviral and antifungal medicine. Of course, chemical tobacco is a terrible artificial drug with cancer-causing properties. However, original tobacco (Nicotiana rustica) and organic tobacco varieties that are naturally dried may have completely different properties than chemical tobacco.
Tobacco tea was often used medicinally with cacao in past ages (careful, however, a tobacco tea made from ten cigarettes can kill a man. Usually one dry 3-4 centimeter leaf of tobacco per two liters of tea is enough!). Tobacco is a great source of the vitamin B3 group of chemicals (nicotine, nicotinic acid, nicotinamide, niacin). The vitamin B3 group dilates capillaries and opens up the delivery pathways for the medicinal elements in cacao. It is the “vitamin B3 reaction” in combination with nicotine that causes the tobacco “high.”
A book written in the 1500’s by a Mayan priest (discovered in the Yucatan in 1914 and now at Princeton University) contains chants and incantations to be spoken over patients suffering from various diseases including skin eruptions, fever and seizures. A bowl of medicinal chocolate containing two peppers, honey and tobacco juice is prescribed.
Three methods of peeling:
1) Peel them dry with your fingernails or a small knife.
2) Soak the cacao beans in water for about 30 minutes, then peel them. Soaking softens the skin-peel and sometimes makes peeling easier.
3) Soak the cacao beans in water for 1 to 2 hours, then dehydrate them at low temperatures until the shells become crisp.
1) Try eating them straight, one at a time. Chew it thoroughly and experience the taste extravaganza of raw chocolate.
2) Add to coconut-based or fruit-based smoothies to enhance the flavour.
3) Add a drip of agave cactus nectar or honey or other sweetening agent to the raw cacao bean and chew!
4) Freeze cacao beans with sweeteners (agave nectar or honey are fantastic). Eat cold.
5) Blend cacao beans into herbal teas with the Peruvian superfood maca.
6) Crush cacao beans with a mortar and pestle, then add to raw ice creams for the best chocolate chips in the world.
7) Create a raw chocolate bar! Blend the following raw ingredients together: cacao beans, agave cactus nectar, carob powder, maca, coconut oil and cashews. Pour into a mold and freeze. Eat cold and experience the truth about the food of the gods!
Warning: Eating cacao beans may cause you to have THE BEST DAY EVER!
Cacao is great fun for everyone — especially kids!
Refrigeration of cacao beans is not required.
Cacao beans keep well in cool, dry conditions.
The Cacaosphere: The mysterious realm where Heaven and Earth meet … in the Heart (Heav-earth, Hea-rt).
The general idea behind the new cacao beverage is blending peeled raw cacao in warm to hot water (usually some type of tea) or fresh coconut water and then adding some type of raw fat/oil and some type of raw sweetener and blending again.
Remember, if you are a beginner, keep it simple. If you are an advanced student of cacao alchemy, you can take it further.
When we are in the tropics we usually use fresh coconut water as the base for the drink. When we are in other climates we will usually use warm or hot herbal teas.
This drink is created in two parts. First create a tea. You can either make a water-infusion tea (soak the herbs in pure water in a glass container for 24 hours) or heat the tea lightly with the herbs in it and pure water (do not boil) for 20 minutes — keeping the tea at approximately 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60-65 degrees Celsius) is ideal.
8 tablespoons of pau d’arco (South American herb, use dried powder or shavings)
3 tablespoons of cat’s claw (South American herb, use dried powder or shavings)
1 raw vanilla bean (sliced and diced)
1 handful of goji berries (dried raisin-like superfruit)
Strain away the herbs and pour this warm tea into the base. The base should consist of the following ingredients in a blender:
20 cacao beans (preferably peeled) (Yes, this is raw chocolate … what we are really making here is chocolate milk without the cow!)
10 raw cashews (everyone loves cashews!)
3-5 tablespoons of maca (powdered root from Peru. An amazing hormonal superfood aphrodisiac, strengthener and fertility enhancer.)
3-5 tablespoons of agave cactus nectar or manuka honey
1-2 tablespoons of cold-pressed hempseed oil
1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil/butter
2-3 pinches of sea salt (such as Celtic sea salt or Himalayan pink rock salt)
2-4 pinches of powdered cinnamon and/or cayenne
Once the tea has been added to the base, then blend! You should have a foamy warm chocolate drink that will explode every taste sensation! Drink with your lover and experience an even heightened sense of pure pleasure!
If you do not know how to find any or all of the ingredients above, please visit: www.longevitywarehouse.com (in North America), www.detoxyourworld.com (in the United Kingdom) and/or your local healthfood store.
Additional tea ingredients could include:
Nettle leaf
Gingko leaf
Incan berries
Horsetail herb
Gotu Kola leaf
Schizandra berries
Hemp leaf
Salvia divinorum
Blue lotus
Other favourite foods to add to this drink include:
2 tablespoons of bee pollen
2 tablespoons of tocotrienols. Tocotrienols are an unheated, mechanically separated rice bran, full of potent antioxidants.
2-3 tablespoons of spirulina. One of the most nutritious foods on Earth and a sacred food of the Aztecs.
1-2 tablespoons of purple corn extract. Over 90% pure antioxidants.
3-4 tablespoons of mesquite powder. This is the powder of the desert mesquite pod. It enhances creaminess and adds minerals and blood sugar balancing elements.
5-8 peppercorns. Pepper is not just for salad anymore.
Supplements to add to cacao drinks include:
If you consume a large amount of chocolate and/or cacao, we recommend that you consider including the following supplements in your chocolate alchemy, with your chocolate drink or in your diet:
• Calcium (½ ounce of liquid angstrom calcium per liter of chocolate beverage or per 30 cacao beans) — Liquid angstrom calcium is a fantastic addition to your cacao alchemy. Angstrom calcium is the best source of supplemental calcium, even better than coral calcium. Calcium has a unique effect on cacao, perhaps it is the synergy of calcium with the magnesium in the cacao. Calcium helps to sweeten and smooth the taste of cacao. Central Americans often grind the seeds of a relative of Theobroma cacao called Theobroma bicolor with lime (a naturally-occuring calcium-rich powdery rock) to make a creamy, tasty treat.
• 1,500-2,000 mg of the amino acid Lysine. Lysine balances the high arginine content of chocolate and/or cacao. This amino acid decreases cacao’s sexually stimulating elements. It also decreases the chance of viral outbreaks. Arginine is aggravating to those with herpes problems; however, raw cacao is much gentler (less aggravating to herpes) than cooked cacao and processed chocolate. Lysine replaces arginine in the viral replication process and inhibits the duplication of the virus. For those with herpes, we recommend looking into raw-food nutrition (Detox Your World by Shazzie and The Sunfood Diet Success System by Wolfe would be great places to learn about raw food) and oxygen therapies (Flood Your Body With Oxygen by Ed McCabe is a great book to start with).
• 1-2 teaspoon(s) of methyl-sulphonyl-methane (MSM) powder crystals. MSM is simply one of the greatest discoveries in nutritional history. MSM increases the absorption of minerals, vitamins and amino acids. The youthening powers of MSM are exceptional.
• 300-600 mg of MegaHydrateTM. This is a product developed by our friend Dr. Patrick Flanagan. It protects all the nutrients in your drink from oxidation. Essentially, it helps preserve the drink longer and helps deliver the nutrients to your cells without metabolic loss.
• 100-300 mg of Vitamin B3 (Niacin) — Niacin can increase the absorption of the cacao drink. It also amplifies the brain-enhancing effect of cacao.
• 1-2 mg of Vitamin B6 — Helps to enhance the brainpower effects of cacao. Alternatively to supplement B6, spirulina and goji berries are great natural sources of this vitamin.
• 50-200 mg of Co-enzyme Q-10 — A great supplement for heart strength. Many people with heart troubles will naturally gravitate to cacao and Co-Q10 due to the overwhelming evidence connecting cacao to heart health.
the recipes …
All alone I sing
To the one who is my Lord:
In this place where the gods command,
The flower-chocolate drink is foaming — the flower intoxication.
I yearn, oh yes!
For my heart has tasted it:
It intoxicated my heart — songs, dreams, yearnings.
My heart has tasted it.
— Tlaltecatzin, Aztec poet
Again, we may use some items that you don’t have, so here is a list of what they are and how you can substitute them with the items you do have. Some of the machines are very heavy duty, and can be substituted with a less powerful machine that you just have to use for a short while longer. Heavy-duty expensive equipment is lovely to use, but it’s not totally necessary. In the recipes, we always offer alternatives to the expensive equipment route.
Here is a list of equipment commonly used in these recipes. If you can’t find these items in the shops, have a look at the resources at the back of the book.
Juicers can range from the $75 (£40 in the UK) centrifugal variety, to the $400+ (£200+ in the UK) masticating variety. We always advise people to start off with the centrifugal one, and when they want to move on, they have a gift to give that will help to start someone else on this food revolution. There are also citrus juicers, and we’d advise that you get yourself one of these if you juice a lot of citrus. It means you don’t have to peel the fruit first which saves you a lot of time.
Another manual gadget; the mandolin slices, chips and juliennes. It’s great if you have a family, as it can whizz through vegetables at a very fast rate. Some food processors work in a similar way with their various attachments, so check what you already have first.
Normal blenders and bullet blenders (Magic Bullet, Nutri-Bullet) are capable of doing most things you want it to, such as blending soups, smoothies and dips. However, the high-powered Vita-Mix really comes into its own when you want to blend large amounts of thicker, harder items. It can pulverise carrots and make a “juice” out of the whole vegetable. It’s a blender which is hard to beat. Because it’s a commercial blender rather than a domestic one, don’t be surprised at the $400+ (£500+ in the UK) price tag. When we suggest using a spice mill to grind foods, you can use your Vita-Mix dry jug if you have one. Likewise, when we suggest using a hand blender, a Vita-Mix wet jug will work quicker. We don’t suggest these automatically as we’re not assuming you have the Vita-Mix. However, if you want one, then Shazzie’s company in the UK and David’s company in the USA both stock and recommend them.
Also known as a liquidiser, this is the type that you hold and push into the food, whizzing it up in the process. It’s great if you don’t have a Nutri-Bullet or Vita-Mix, as it will blend thicker food than your blender will manage. You can buy them for about $10 (£5 in the UK), but that type seems to have a tiny blade which doesn’t do the job very well. Go for the ones which are about $35 (£20 in the UK) and have larger blades that point both up and down.
This machine revolutionises the preparation of raw food. Make pies, crackers and pâtés in minutes. With the many types on the market, look for one with a large basin and a fast speed, as it will make a difference to the convenience of your food preparation.
If you have a food processor with a blender or a solo blender, you might already have one of these. If not, you can buy them quite cheaply. They are fantastic for making small amounts of really smooth dressings and for milling dry seeds.
A few of the recipes here call for a dehydrator. This is a machine like a cool oven that blows warm, but not hot, air over the food. The food changes in structure as water is removed, but enzymes and other heat sensitive nutrients aren’t lost in the process. We dehydrate at around 105-115 degrees Fahrenheit (40-46 degrees Celsius), and use Teflex sheets (a thick type of wax paper) for the more liquidy recipes. If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can achieve similar results by putting your oven on its lowest setting and leaving the door open, or using an airing cupboard or the sunshine.
We’ve added icons to each recipe, so you can see at a glance the equipment you’ll need.
Because Americans wear their pants on the outside, they also use some other words differently. Here are the common food words which differ between us.
coriander = cilantro
dessertspoon = 2 teaspoons
courgette = zucchini
beansprouts = sprouts
spring onions = green onions
chips = fries
chick peas = garbanzos
cling film = Saran wrap
stoned = pitted
punnet = plastic fruit basket, about 2-3 cups
little gem = tiny lettuce, like a mini-romaine
aubergine = eggplant
sharon fruit = persimmon
rocket = arugula
sweetcorn = corn/maize
crisps = chips
beetroot = beet
pepper = bell pepper
physalis = cape gooseberry
Where we mention water, you can either use your preferred water (we use mineral water), the freshly-squeezed juice of a cucumber or celery, or the water from a young or old coconut, depending on whether the dish is sweet or savoury. We never drink or soak dried products in water straight from the tap.
Where we mention chocolate powder as a recipe ingredient, we are referring to raw, organic chocolate beans or cacao nibs that you have ground yourself using a coffee/spice mill or pestle and mortar. If you don’t have these beans/nibs, then using a good-quality, organic cocoa powder will also work, but will feel different in your body. We wholeheartedly recommend that you use finely-crushed raw, organic cacao beans/nibs in these recipes.
We use this in a couple of recipes. Nature’s Living Superfood, Pure Synergy and Nature’s First Food are all great brands to use. Spirulina or Klamath Lake Blue-green Algae works great here too.
Makes about 16 yummy chewys.
1 cup of almonds, soaked 2-4 hours
12 dried apricots, soaked 1 hour
1 dessertspoon of poppy seeds
1 teaspoon of mixed spices (allspice, nutmeg, etc.)
2 dessertspoons of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
1 heaped teaspoon of spirulina
1 dessertspoon of soak water from the apricots
Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until the mixture has formed a stiff ball. If it doesn’t stick together, add some of the apricot soak water. Lay the mixture out onto a Teflex sheet, and press it out to 6-8mm thick. Square off the edges.
Dehydrate for four hours, when it should be ready to turn over and remove the Teflex sheet. Do this, then score the square shapes, about 2×2 inches.
Dehydrate for a further four hours, then enjoy!
Makes 10 of these gorgeous moreish little bites.
1 serving of Dark Chocolate Sauce (see this page)
Cinnamon, ground
1 cup of pecans, not soaked
1 cup of medjool dates, stoned
Blend the pecans and dates together in a food processor to make a dough. Dust some cinnamon onto a clean work surface, and place the dough on it. Sprinkle some more cinnamon on top of the dough and flatten it out, adding more cinnamon if it ever gets sticky.
Once the dough is about 4 mm thick, and about 15 × 15 cm square, cut the edges so they are neat. Spread the chocolate sauce evenly on top.
Pick up one side of the dough and start to roll to the other side, so you end up with a spiralled log. Cut this log into 1.5 cm wide rolls and serve.
Serves 2
2 young Thai coconuts (water and jelly)
1 tablespoon of powdered green superfood
1 level teaspoon of coconut oil
2 real vitamin C capsules (powdered camu camu or acerola berries)
1 heaped tablespoon of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
½ cup of fresh durian
5 almonds, skinned
1 tablespoon of maca
Drain the coconuts through the tops, then cut the tops off so you can use them to serve the soup in. We make ours into lotus flowers, simply by cutting from the top down with a sharp knife all the way around. We then put a pointed knife about 4 cm down from the tip onto the coconut. Holding the coconut and knife steady with one hand, we bang the top of the knife repeatedly with the other. Once we crack the coconut, we pry open the lid by carefully sliding the knife around as it cracks.
Add 1.5 coconuts’ worth of water and jelly into a blending jug. You can save some of the unused jelly for decoration if you like. Remove the vitamin C powder from the capsules, and add that to the jug. Add all the other ingredients except the almonds, and blend until it’s all smooth.
Make sure there is no jelly in either of the coconuts, and then pour equal amounts of the soup into the coconuts. Split the almonds in half and place them in a flower pattern in each bowl. Add a tiny pinch of ground cacao on top, then serve.
If you’ve read Shazzie’s book Detox Your World, you may have already experienced The Best Meal in the World. Here it is with a chocolatey twist. And twist you it will! Serves 2.
1 young coconut
30 cacao beans, skinned
1 durian
2 people
A ball pond (a pool of plastic balls you find at amusement parks!)
Cut the top off the coconut and add two straws. Open the durian. Eat the durian and cacao until they’re all gone, without fighting over the durian. Sip from the coconut, together. This will give you a major chakra rush and make you go all funny! After finishing the coconut water, enjoy your post multiple duriasmic chill by lolling about in your ball pond for an hour before resuming any adult responsibilities that you may have. Believe me, you won’t be able to do anything else.
Serves 8 snack portions.
5 cups of walnuts, soaked 4-8 hours
1 cup of cashew nuts
1 cup of goji berries, soaked 1-4 hours
1 cup of raw agave nectar
4 tablespoons of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
1 tablespoon of powdered nettles or powdered green superfood
1 teaspoon of spirulina powder
Break the cashews with a food processor, to create small pieces, a bit bigger than crumbs.
Blend the agave nectar, goji berries and powders together. Add the cashews and walnuts and stir until the walnuts are fully coated. Pour onto a Teflex sheet (Teflon-coated wax-like paper), spread out until the walnuts are separated, and dehydrate for 4-8 hours. The result will be sticky, yet crunchy walnuts with a kick to keep you going through the day.
Serves 4 snack portions.
1 medium papaya
½ cup of raw agave nectar
1 cup of cashew nuts
4 tablespoons chocolate powder
1 tablespoon of hemp seeds, shelled (hemp nuts)
1 teaspoon of fresh lime zest, finely grated
Cut the papaya in half and scoop out the seeds in the middle. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the skin from the papaya and discard. Thinly slice the papaya and place the slices individually on a Teflex sheet.
Blend the cashews, chocolate, lime and agave nectar until super-smooth. Pour this onto the papaya slices, allowing it to dribble all over. Sprinkle the hemp seeds on top. Dehydrate for about 8 hours. You’ll get a very unusual and beautiful sweet cheese-like finger snack — it goes great with grapes.
This is like a brownie, only darker and much richer. You can’t eat many of these in one go, unless you’re a greedy guts.
4 cups of black mission figs, soaked 1 hour
1 cup of black tahini
½ cup of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
1 cup of goji berries, soaked 1 hour
1 dessertspoon of fresh mint leaves
1 tablespoon of golden flax seeds
Pinch of Celtic sea salt
Finely grind the flax seeds in a coffee mill, Nutri-Bullet or Vita-Mix dry jug. Put all the ingredients into a food processor and process until fine and dough-like. If the mixture doesn’t stick together, add slowly some goji berry soak water whilst blending.
Knead the dough until you’ve put lots of love into it, and then place it onto a Teflex sheet. Spread it out until it’s about 2 cm thick, and square the edges off. Cut into little squares. If you fancy it, place half a cherry on top of each square.
Dehydrate for about 4 hours, then turn onto the dehydrator tray without a Teflex sheet, and dehydrate for 6 more hours.
A tribute to Prince, the man with the chocolate voice. Serves 2.
1 portion of Dark Chocolate Sauce
24 raspberries
So simple … Pour little amounts of the sauce into the cavities at the top of the raspberries. Put in the freezer for an hour or so, and they’ll become sweet crunchy surprises.
Oh, I forgot to mention, you have to sing all the time you’re making this: “She wore a Raspberry beret, The kind u find in a second hand store, Raspberry beret, And if it was warm she wouldn’t wear much more, Raspberry beret, I think I love her …” And we think we love Prince.
This cake is so amazing and yummy, it’s fit for royalty — And you!
Base
1 level teaspoon dried orange zest
3 cups of baby figs (dried)
1 cup of almonds (soaked in water for 1 hour)
1 cup of almonds (dry)
¼ teaspoon of ginger powder
¼ teaspoon of grated nutmeg
1 cup of dried cherries
2 cups of fresh cherries
½ cup of poppy seeds
Jam
2 cups of fresh cherries, stoned
1 level dessertspoon of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
6 prunes (dry), stoned
Cream
3 cups of cashews (dry)
Juice of 1-2 oranges
1 tablespoon of water
1 vanilla pod
To make the base
Blend all the base ingredients together in a food processor until a ball forms. You might have to do this in two batches as it’s quite large.
Line a lose-bottomed cake tin with cling film (Saran wrap) and put half the mixture into the tin, then flatten it out. Turn this out onto a serving plate. Put the remaining mixture in the tin, and flatten it out. Leave it in the tin until you’ve completed the next step.
To make the jam
Blend all the jam ingredients with a hand blender or in a Nutri-Bullet or Vita-Mix. Add more prunes if it’s not solid enough.
Cut the vanilla pod into tiny pieces. Blend all the cream ingredients together using a hand blender. You could start the mixture off in a food processor, and then use a blender once the cashews have broken down. Alternatively, if you have a Nutri-Bullet or Vita-Mix, you can easily make the cream all in one go.
To complete the cake
Spread half the jam onto the cake base. Spread half the cream onto the cake base. Turn out the other half of the cake and place it on top of the spread cream. Spread the rest of the jam on the top of the cake. Spread the rest of the cream on top of the jam. Decorate with cherries and a deep red rose.
Serves 8 generous portions.
Pastry
1 cup of oat groats
1 cup of almonds (dry)
1 cup of dried apricots, soaked in water for 2-4 hours
Filling
2 cups of cashew nuts, dry
2 cups of fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons of raw agave nectar
2 tablespoons of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
To make the pastry
Grind the almonds and oat groats into a fine flour, using a Nutri-Bullet, Vita-Mix dry jug or a coffee mill. Transfer to a food processor, saving about 1 tablespoon for rolling the pastry out. Switch the food processor on, and drop the apricots down the chute (this is what happened to that naughty Verucca Salt, too!). As the apricots are blended, a dough-like consistency should form. If it doesn’t, add some soak water from the apricots. Once the mixture has formed into a ball, switch the machine off and remove the dough.
Place some of your saved flour onto a chopping board. Put the dough on this, and then add some more flour onto the dough. Start to flatten and roll the pastry, as you would any other pastry. Make it wide enough to add to an eight inch tart dish. Once rolled, line your tart dish with cling-film, and place the pastry on top of that. Press the pastry into the dish, and cut the edges off. Flute the edges.
Place the tart dish in a dehydrator for 2 hours. The pastry will harden slightly. Carefully remove the pastry from the dish, by turning it upside down. Remove the cling film (Saran wrap). Put the formed shell back on a dehydrator tray and dehydrate for 2 more hours. Removing it from the dish like this enables more warm air to reach the underside of the pastry, and crisps it up.
When your pastry shell is ready, remove it from the dehydrator and put it to one side.
Add the remaining ingredients, except one cup of blueberries to a Vita-Mix or high-powered blender. Blend all the ingredients until the cashews are completely broken down and the mixture is smooth.
Pour this mixture into your pastry and spread it to the edges. Place the remaining blueberries on top, in a beautiful pattern. Put this into a freezer for at least an hour before serving.
This keeps for many weeks in a freezer, just defrost it for half an hour before cutting and serving.
We use this to top every sweet dish going. We also add it to smoothies, and just dip our fingers in it and eat as is. Yum yum.
4 heaped tablespoons of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
3 tablespoons of raw agave nectar
½ teaspoon of coconut oil
Mix all the ingredients together to form a paste. If you need it runnier, add more agave nectar. If you need it creamier, add some more coconut oil. We love to make this in a pestle and mortar, as we feel more love going into it.
A much milder version than that above, but still with a wonderful chocolate taste.
1 teaspoon of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
1 dessertspoon of coconut oil
1 cup of macadamia nuts
1 cup of young coconut water
The jelly of 1 young coconut
Seeds from half a vanilla pod
Blend all ingredients using a Nutri-Bullet or other high-powered blender until the nuts are broken down and the sauce is smooth.
1 cup of macadamia nuts
1 tablespoon of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
1 cup of Almond Mylk (see this page)
2 tablespoons of raw agave nectar
5 medjool dates, stoned
Blend everything until smooth and creammmmmmy. To make it extra smooth, strain the sauce through a sieve.
Serves 2, though you may find yourself making more!
1 pint of very cold Almond Mylk (see this page)
4 tablespoons of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
2 tablespoons of carob powder
1 teaspoon of maca powder
1 teaspoon of tocotrienols
4 tablespoons of raw agave nectar
¼ teaspoon of powdered ginseng
1 teaspoon of cold-pressed hemp oil
1 teaspoon of cold-pressed flax oil
Blend all the ingredients together and enjoy immediately before we come over and drink it for you!
This is a great not-too-sweet drink, containing lots of life-giving stuff. Serves 2.
1 ripe banana, peeled
1 young coconut
1 dessertspoon of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
2 dessertspoons of cold-pressed hemp seeds
1 teaspoon of cold-pressed hemp oil
Open the coconut in your preferred way. Pour the liquid and scoop the jelly into your blender. Add all the other ingredients and blend until smooth.
I’m not a big fan of sesame, but this drink does it for me big time. Little ’uns also love this. If it’s too bitter, add some raw agave nectar or some dates and blend again. We didn’t photograph the following two drinks as they didn’t look much different to the other drinks in this book! Please forgive us, for we know not what we do. Serves 2.
1 cup of sprouted sesame seeds
1 young coconut
4 tablespoons of angstrom/ionic calcium
1 tablespoon of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
2 cups of water
6 apricot kernels (for that real almondy taste)
Open the coconut in your preferred way. Pour the liquid and scoop the jelly into your blender. Add all the other ingredients and blend until smooth.
You may want to strain this after blending for a smoother shake — this will depend upon the strength of your blender as well as your preferences.
Simple, yet totally gorgeous and energising. Serves 2-3.
2 young coconuts
1 vanilla bean
1 tablespoon of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
Open the coconut in your preferred way. Pour the liquid and scoop the jelly into your blender. Add all the other ingredients and blend until smooth.
If you don’t have a strong blender such as the Vita-Mix, you may prefer to split the vanilla bean down the middle, scrape the seeds into the blender and discard the tougher skin. This is why we recommend the Vita-Mix, it could pulverise your socks! Er, don’t try that, please.
This is the most mineral-rich shot in the world! Get it down your neck quick and enjoy the rush! Serves 1.
1 teaspoon of Klamath Lake Crystals (dried blue-green algae)
1 teaspoon of cold-pressed hemp oil
½ teaspoon of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
1 dessertspoon of raw agave nectar
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
1 dessertspoon of ionic/angstrom Water of Life or Mineral of Life
Mix everything together and serve in a shot glass with a slice of lemon. Wow!
If you need a little helping hand, then make this, sit back and relax. For a bit … Serves 1.
A squeeze of lemon juice
1 cup of water
20 soaked almonds
1 dessertpoon of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
4 prunes, soaked 2-4 hours and stoned
1 dessertspoon of prune soak water
1 dessertspoon of raw agave nectar
Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend. Strain (the drink!) into a serving glass.
Entice your loved ones with this warm, creamy and smooth delight. Makes 4 cups.
1 pint of Almond Mylk (see this page), made with warm water
4 tablespoons of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
2 tablespoons of raw agave nectar
Blend all ingredients in a blender and serve immediately. For a hotter chocolate, make the almond mylk with half the amount of water. Blend all the ingredients, then add half a pint of hot water, whisk and serve.
Kicks you like a mule. Makes 4 cups.
1 pint of Almond Mylk (see this page), made with warm water
4 tablespoons of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
2 tablespoons of raw agave nectar
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Pinch each of mace, nutmeg and cinnamon
Blend all ingredients in a blender and serve immediately. For a hotter chocolate, make the almond mylk with half the amount of water. Blend all the ingredients, then add half a pint of hot water, whisk and serve.
You will love this! These bars have a lower melting point than traditional chocolate, so we keep ours in the freezer. We use ice-cube trays, as they make nice portions, but do improvise with lots of different shapes and moulds. You can even make chocolate bunnies for Easter!
1 level tablespoon of coconut oil
2 heaped tablespoons of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
1 level tablespoon of raw agave nectar
1 heaped tablespoon of tocotrienols
1 level dessertspoon of maca powder
Blend everything until very smooth. Pour into your chosen mould, freeze for about 20-30 minutes, then live and go to heaven!
1 cup of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
1 cup of raw agave nectar
1 cup of carob powder
½ cup of coconut oil
1 dessertspoon of ionic/angstrom calcium
1 cup of cashew nuts
Blend everything until very smooth. Pour into your chosen mould, freeze for about 20-30 minutes, then live and go to heaven!
Shazzie and our good friend Daniel invented this major chocolate experience. It’s got everything a chocoholic could wish for, and when you put as much love in it as we did, it gets that extra special sparkle!
Base
¼ cup of carob powder
2 cups of pecans (dry)
20 black mission figs, soaked in water 4-8 hours (keep the water)
Pinch of sea salt
½ teaspoon of cinnamon
¼ teaspoon of nutmeg
¼ teaspoon of allspice
Middle
1.5 cups of avocado
1.5 cups of coconut jelly
¼ cup of tocotreinols
1 dessertspoon of maca
½ cup of carob powder
½ cup of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
½ cup of raw agave nectar
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Topping
1 dessertspoon of orange zest
½ cup of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
½ cup of raw agave nectar
¼ cup of soak water from the black mission figs
In a Vita-Mix dry jug or coffee mill, grind the nuts to a powder with the spices, salt and carob powder. Add this to the food processor with most of the figs and process the ingredients until they have broken down. Add the rest of the figs one by one as you’re processing to get a hard dough-like consistency. Put this into an eight inch pie dish, and flatten evenly. Place this in the freezer.
To make the middle
Blend all the middle ingredients until smooth and pour this onto the base. Return the two-staged pie to the freezer.
To make the topping
Mix all the topping ingredients except the orange zest with a spoon until smooth. Spoon this on the pie in drips or spread it all over. Decorate with the zest and some extra whole chocolate beans.
Makes about 30-40 pieces
2 cups of cashews nuts, soaked
1 cup of dates, stoned and soaked
1 cup of raisins, soaked
1 cup of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
½ cup of water
½ cup of golden flax seeds, ground
½ cup of carob powder
Add all ingredients into the food processor, except the ground flax seeds. Process until very smooth. Add the ground flax seeds and process again until you can’t see the flax.
Scrape the mixture into a three quarter inch deep tin (with greaseproof paper if you wish), and spread it evenly. Freeze for two hours. Cut into 1 inch squares and freeze for a further hour before removing and eating.
Try serving this with Dark Chocolate Sauce as a dip.
Makes about 30-40 pieces
1 cup of dates, stoned and soaked for 1-2 hours
1.5 cups date soak water
1 vanilla pod
2.5 cups of almonds
2 tablespoons of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
½ cup of dried shredded coconut
Add all ingredients into the food processor. Process until very smooth.
Scrape the mixture into a three-quarter inch deep tin (with greaseproof paper if you wish), and spread it evenly. Freeze for two hours. Cut into 1 inch squares and freeze for a further hour before removing and eating.
Try serving this with Dark Chocolate Sauce as a dip.
Big thanks to Jackie Ayala and Dave Steinberg (Cosmic Pepper Productions) for offering this stunning dessert to the world. Serves 4-8.
Pulp from 5 young Thai coconuts
Water from 3 young coconuts
1 cup raw pistachios
½ cup of shelled raw hemp seeds (hemp nuts)
1 cup macadamia nuts
½ cup of raw agave nectar
1 tablespoon of Hawaiian white honey
1 tablespoon of spirulina
1 medium ripe avocado
3 tablespoons of chopped fresh mint (chocolate mint is preferable)
2 tablespoons of coconut oil/butter
2-4 tablespoons of raw cacao nibs
2 drops of peppermint essential oil
1 tablespoon of dried powdered nettles (optional)
Blend the coconut pulp and water in a Nutri-Bullet, Vita-Mix or other high-powered blender. Strain through a fine mesh strainer or nut milk bag.
Pour the coconut blend back into the blender and add the rest of the ingredients except the cacao and peppermint oil.
Blend on high until creamy.
Stir in the cacao and oil by hand.
For best results chill in the freezer for several hours, then pour into an ice cream maker and follow the ice cream maker’s directions. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, stir the mixture every hour and return to the freezer until solid.
Serves 2.
3 bananas, chopped small and frozen overnight
1 teaspoon of coconut oil/butter
½ cup of chocolate nibs, ground but not powdered
¼ cup of blackcurrants
2 tablespoons of raw agave nectar
Blend the agave nectar and blackcurrants together and leave this coulis to marinate while preparing the rest of the dish.
Add the frozen bananas and coconut oil to the food processor and process until the mixture becomes white. You may have to stop and rest your machine as it takes a few minutes. Scrape down the banana halfway, and work quickly so the bananas don’t melt, otherwise they won’t turn to white whippy-like ice cream.
Once the ice cream is made, mix in the chocolate by hand and put the ice cream into two small ramekin dishes. Return these to the freezer for about an hour.
Strain the blackcurrant skin and pips out of the coulis using some muslin. Discard the skin and pips. Once the ice cream is ready to be served, drizzle the coulis on your serving plates. Very briefly dunk the ramekins in hot water, and turn the ice creams out onto the plates. Use a knife around the outsides if you need to. It might be best if you turn it out onto a plain plate, and then carefully transfer it to your plate that has the coulis on.
Makes 12.
1 cup of oat groats (soaked for 2 days; change water 4 times in this period)
1 cup of dry oat groats, finely ground to a powder
1 cup of dried apricots, soaked overnight
1 cup of broken raw cacao bean pieces or cacao nibs
Put both types of oats and the apricots in the food processor and process until everything is well mixed together and the apricots have broken down. Stir in the cacao pieces by hand. Divide the mixture into 12, and dollop on to Teflex sheets. Shape the mixture to look like cookies and dehydrate for 8-10 hours. They don’t have to be hard all the way through, so keep testing them!
Makes 24.
1 cup of oat groats (soaked for 2 days; change water 4 times in this period)
1 cup of dry oat groats, finely ground to a powder
1 cup of dried apricots, soaked overnight
1 cup of cashew nuts, soaked 2-4 hours
1 cup of broken raw cacao bean pieces or cacao nibs
2 cups of mixed fruit such as black cherries, blueberries, blackberries, blackcurrants and black grapes.
Put both types of oats along with the cashews and fruit in the food processor and process until everything is well mixed together and the apricots have broken down. Stir in the cacao pieces by hand. Divide the mixture into 12, and dollop on to Teflex sheets. Shape the mixture to look like cookies and dehydrate for 8-10 hours. They don’t have to be hard all the way through, so keep testing them!
Serves 4.
4 bananas, chopped small and frozen overnight
1 teaspoon of coconut butter/oil
1 cup of broken raw cacao bean pieces or cacao nibs
4 tablespoons of raw agave nectar
1 cup of fresh mint leaves
The day before you make this, finely chop the mint and add to the agave nectar. Leave it to marinate overnight. Using a fine cloth, strain the liquid from the pulp. You can use the discarded mint pulp in a dressing or sauce. You can keep the liquid for several days in the fridge.
Add the frozen bananas and coconut oil to the food processor and process until the mixture becomes white. You may have to stop and rest your machine as it takes a few minutes. Scrape down the banana halfway, and work quickly so the bananas don’t melt, otherwise they won’t turn to white whippy-like ice cream.
Once the ice cream is made, mix in the chocolate chips and the minty agave nectar by hand. Serve scoops of this immediately or return it to the freezer where it will keep for about a week.
Sail away in your Happy Lemon Boat down the chocolate river of your dreams. Serves 4.
½ cup of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
3 lemons
1 avocado, stoned and peeled
½ cup of carob powder
10 dates, stoned and soaked
4 tablespoons of raw agave nectar
Cut two of the lemons in half, lengthways. Scoop the flesh out, being careful to keep the skins intact. Cut a tiny strip off the bottom of each lemon half, so that they will sit flat on a plate without falling over. Finely chop these cut-off strips and add them to a blender jug. Juice a quarter of the scooped out lemon flesh and add that juice to the blender jug.
Discard the rest of the lemon flesh. Blend the ingredients in the jug with the chocolate powder, avocado, carob powder, dates and agave nectar until smooth and creamy. If it tastes too bitter, add more agave nectar.
Divide the mixture into four, and pile it into the boats.
Cut up the third lemon to create sails, and add one to each boat.
Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of this meal, it’s one of our best ever recipes! Serves 2, and keeps you up all day.
2 oranges
14 dried apricots, soaked in water 4-6 hours
½ cup almonds, dry
1 dessertspoon of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
2 dessertspoons of Dark Chocolate Sauce (see this page)
Juice the oranges. Blend the orange juice with 10 of the apricots, and put into two glasses.
Blend the remaining apricots with the almonds, chocolate sauce and chocolate powder. Keep it still slightly crunchy. Spoon this on top of the orange and apricot blend.
For an extra treat, top with some agave nectar and some orange zest. Wow!
Makes about 12.
4 bananas
¼ cup of golden flax seed
½ cup of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
2 cups of sunflower seeds
1 cup of sesame seeds
½ cup of oat groats
4 dates, stoned and soaked
1 tablespoon of raw agave nectar
1 heaped teaspoon of mixed spices (allspice, nutmeg, etc.)
1 heaped teaspoon of cinnamon
1 heaped teaspoon of Chinese five spice
Mill the sesame seeds, oat groats and flax seeds until they become a fine “flour”. Put three of the bananas into a food processor with the sunflower seeds and agave nectar, and process until the mixture is blended. Add this mixture to a mixing bowl.
Dice the dates and remaining banana and add those to the mixture. Gradually mix in the flour and spices until everything is evenly mixed.
Press the mixture out onto a chopping board until it’s about 1 cm thick. Using a small cookie cutter, cut as many cookies as you can. Roll the remaining mixture back up, press it out and cut again. Continue until there’s no mixture left. Dehydrate until crisp, about 8 hours, turning over once halfway through.
Makes 2 loaves.
4 bananas
¼ cup of golden flax seed
½ cup of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
2 cups of sunflower seeds
1 cup of sesame seeds
½ cup of oat groats
4 dates, soaked and stoned
1 tablespoon of raw agave nectar
Mill the sesame seeds, oat groats and flax seeds until they become a fine “flour”. Put three of the bananas into a food processor with the sunflower seeds and agave nectar, and process until the mixture is blended. Add this mixture to a mixing bowl.
Dice the dates and remaining banana and add those to the mixture. Gradually mix in the flour until everything is evenly mixed.
Cut the mixture in half, make two loaves about an inch and a half (3 cm) high and dehydrate at 8 hours, turning over once halfway through.
Serves 2.
½ cup of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
1 avocado, stoned and peeled
½ cup of carob powder
10 dates, stoned and soaked
2 tablespoons of raw agave nectar
Blend all ingredients together. If too bitter, add more agave nectar. Serve scooped or piped into a dish.
Makes about 16 balls.
8 dates, soaked and stoned
½ cup of dried baby figs
2 cups of hazelnuts
2 tablespoons of raw agave nectar
½ cup of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
Pinch of Celtic sea salt or Himalayan pink rock salt
Put the hazels into a food processor and process until broken, not powdery. Put them into a mixing bowl.
Put all the remaining ingredients into the food processor and process until the mixture starts to form a ball.
Take small sections of the mixture and roll into balls.
You can eat them as they are, or put them into a dehydrator for about 4 hours to solidify.
Serves 8, but only if you’re good.
Base
2 cups of hazelnuts
20 dates, stoned and soaked 2-24 hours
1 dessertspoon of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
Middle
4 bananas, peeled, chopped and frozen for 24-48 hours
½ a vanilla pod
1 mango, stoned and peeled
1 tablespoon of carob powder
Topping
1 portion of Really Chocolate Pudding (see this page)
1 portion of Cashew Créme (see this page)
15 white grapes
1 physalis (gooseberry)
1 passion fruit
To make the base
Process the hazels, dates and chocolate powder in the food processor until smoothly blended together. Put this mixture into a loose-bottomed round tin (about 6-8 inches). Put this into the freezer while making the next layer.
To make the middle
Add the bananas, seeds from the vanilla pod and mango to the food processor. Process this until the mixture becomes white and creamy. Add the carob powder and process just enough to blend this in. Add this layer into the tin, on top of the hazelnut base, and spread it out evenly. Place it back in the freezer.
To complete
After at least 2 hours, remove the two-layers of cheezecake from the tin, and place on a serving plate. Add Really Chocolate Pudding to a piping bag and pipe a design on top. Clean the piping bag, then pipe with Cashew Créme. Add the grapes, passion fruit and physalis or other fruit in season.
This stunning savoury dish can be served as a starter or as an accompaniment to a main course. Serves 2.
1 cup of fresh beetroot
1 small red onion
4 halves of sundried tomatoes, soaked 8-24 hours
¾ cup of dry pine kernels
A squeeze of lemon juice
10 rosemary leaves
1 dessertspoon of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
½ teaspoon of mustard powder
Dice the beetroot and onion, then add everything to a Vita-Mix or hand blender. Blend until completely homogenised. If you’re doing this with a hand blender, it may help to start it all off in a food processor, and then finish with the hand blender.
Add the mixture to two small moulds, lined with cling film (Saran wrap) and turn out immediately or place in the fridge to set for a while. Decorate with any left over ingredients. We use a peeling of beetroot, some onion rings and some pine nuts.
It’s the tomatoes that make this into a mousse, so if you’re experimenting with other flavours, keep the tomatoes!
This is a really intense meal, adjust the cayenne content according to your taste! Serves 4.
2 cloves of garlic
2 ripe medium tomatoes
1 cup of basil, loosely packed
10 rosemary leaves
6 sundried tomatoes
A squeeze of lemon
1 heaped teaspoon of cayenne powder
4 Peruvian dried olives, soaked 30 minutes
2 tablespoons of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
½ red pepper
½ cup of dried mixed mushrooms
¼ cup of olive oil
4 courgettes
Finely chop the garlic and rosemary. Dice the tomatoes and peppers. Slice the olives, and discard the stones. Add all the ingredients except the oil and courgettes to the food processor. If possible, crush the mushrooms in your hands before adding them. Process until the mixture is even and still chunky. Leave for 10 minutes for the mushrooms to expand and soak up some of the juice. Stir in the olive oil by hand.
Peel the courgettes and grate them. Pat with kitchen paper if they aren’t very dry. Divide them into four, and place them on a plate, using a round mould. Dent the top slightly so the chili can fit into it.
Top the courgettes with equal amounts of chili and serve. For a special treat, serve with Chocolate Tortillas!
These are slightly spicy, slightly chocolatey, and oh so versatile. We stuff them with Non-Fried Beans (recipe to follow), Chili con Cacao, our Sour Cream (recipe to follow), and marinated peppers. Serve them with guacamole, sunflower sprouts, slices of lime on a bed of spring onions. Makes 6 tortillas.
Corn freshly stripped from 2 cobs
½ cup of dry golden flax seeds
¼ avocado
½ cup of sunflower seeds, dry
4 spring onions
2 cloves of garlic
¼ teaspoon of Celtic sea salt or Himalayan pink rock salt
1 teaspoon of cumin powder
½ teaspoon of cayenne powder
1 dessertspoon of paprika
1 dessertspoon of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
2 squeezes of lime juice
Grind the flax seeds into a fine powder using a spice mill. Finely chop the garlic. Chop the spring onions. Add all the ingredients to the food processor, and blend until smooth. The dough should be thick and sticky.
Place six equal amounts on Teflex sheets, flatten out into circles and dehydrate for about four hours. Turn the tortillas over, remove the Teflex sheets so air can circulate more and dehydrate for a further one or two hours.
This recipe goes really well with the tortillas, so even though it doesn’t have chocolate in it, we’ve included it here. This tastes just like refried beans. Serves 6 when put in tortillas with the other ingredients.
2 cups of dry sunflower seeds
½ cup of olive oil
1 dessertspoon of paprika
¼ red pepper
1 teaspoon of cumin seed
¼ cup of salty water from Italian olives (or water with / teaspoon of Celtic sea salt or Himalayan pink rock salt in it)
1 dessertspoon of raw tahini
1 spring onion (green onion)
Chop the spring onion and pepper. Put all the ingredients in the food processor. Process until smooth and spreadable, which may take a few minutes. Warm this in your dehydrator for about half an hour before serving.
This recipe goes really well with the tortillas, so even though it doesn’t have chocolate in it, we’ve included it here. It tastes just like real sour cream, but it’s so much better for you! Serves 6 when put in tortillas with the other ingredients. Keeps well in the fridge for a few weeks, so you can make a big batch.
2 cups of cashew nuts, soaked 2 hours
½ lemon
½ cup of celery juice or water (not the nut soak water)
½ teaspoon of Celtic sea salt or Himalayan pink rock salt
Juice the lemon, discard the pulp and skin. Add all the ingredients to a Vita-Mix or other high-powered blender. Blend until very smooth. Put in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.
You can just use the tortilla recipe for this, and cut them differently, but we find that this slightly modified recipe works best. It’s amazing how chocolate and spices go so well together. We love these with salsa and guacamole with some olives on the side. Makes 30-40 chips, depending on size.
Corn freshly stripped from 2 cobs
½ cup of dry golden flax seeds
¼ avocado
½ cup sunflower seeds, dry
1 clove of garlic
¼ teaspoon of Celtic sea salt
1 teaspoon of cumin powder
1 dessertspoon of paprika
2 dessertspoons of chocolate powder
(crushed cacao beans or nibs)
2 squeezes of lime juice
To serve
1 teaspoon of Celtic sea salt
½ teaspooon ground coriander
Grind the flax seeds into a fine powder using a spice mill or Vita-Mix dry jug. Finely chop the garlic. Add all the ingredients (except the serving ingredients) to the food processor, and blend until smooth. The dough should be thick and sticky.
Put the dough onto a couple of Teflex sheets. Cover with cling film (Saran wrap), and roll out with a rolling pin until about 4mm thin. Remove the cling film and dehydrate for about 4 hours.
Turn the half-ready mixture onto dehydrator trays without the Teflex sheets, and score triangular chip-like shapes into them. Dehydrate for a further 4-6 hours, until crisp.
Grind the coriander and salt until fine, then toss the chips in this. Serve with your favourite dips.
These are so juicy and yummy. You may find it hard to share these, but do try!! Makes 8-10 pockets.
1 pineapple
½ serving of Dark Chocolate Sauce (see this page)
Slice the pineapple into rings about 1.5 cm thick. Cut the edges off — We use a biscuit cutter to make them all the same. Gently slice into the centre of each slice, so you create a pocket.
Put a dollop of sauce into the centre of each pocket. Close the pocket and add to a dehydrator. Dehydrate for 4-6 hours, turning once.
Serve these as they are, still warm from the dehydrator, perhaps with one of our delicious ice creams.
Just like Charlie Bucket, you can have your very own golden ticket — and you can eat it, too! Makes 2 big tickets.
2 cups of pineapple
1 tablespoon of ionic angstrom gold
1 orange
1 dessertspoon of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
Juice the orange, discard the pulp and skin. Blend all ingredients until mixed up and mashed up. Pour the mixture out onto a Teflex sheet, and spread out until it’s about 3-4 mm thin. Dehydrate for 2-6 hours, until leathery.
Cut into two to make tickets, then dress up as Charlie and Willy and let the fun begin in your very own Wonka way!
What are we suggesting here? Maybe not what you think. Yes four in a bed, but they’re Charlie’s grandparents. See — all very innocent. Bless them, they’re old wrinkly prunes, but they still have smiles on their faces! So say hello to Grandma Josephine, Grandpa Joe, Grandma Georgina and Grandpa George. And then eat them. Ahem. Sorry. Serves 1.
6 prunes, soaked at least overnight, in plenty of water (they’re thirsty!)
½ cup of macadamia nuts
1 teaspoon of maca
1 teaspoon of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
1 tablespoon of soak water from the prunes
Raisins, apple and citrus peel to decorate
Skin and stone two of the prunes, and add to a food processor. Put the macadamias, maca, chocolate powder and prune juice in there, too. Process until blended, yet still crunchy.
Put this on a plate and shape into a rectangle. This will be the lovely cozy bed for the grandparents. Decorate the bed with raisins.
Gently stone the remaining four prunes, and then lay them on their bed. Create faces for them all out of citrus peel. Make hair for the Grandmas, they may be old, but they still want to look good for the Grandpas!
This tastes like no other pizza you’ve ever known! Serves 8, if giving one slice each.
Dough
1 cup of dry oat groats
1 cup of dry cashew nuts
1 teaspoon of dry golden flaxseed
15 dried apricots, soaked 4-6 hours
Topping
1 large strawberry
1 apple
4 physalis (gooseberries)
4 grapes
1 portion of Dark Chocolate Sauce (see this page)
To make the dough
Put 8 cashews to one side. Grind the remaining cashews, flax and oat groats into a fine “flour”, using a Nutri-Bullet, Vita-Mix dry jug or a coffee mill. Transfer to a food processor, saving about a tablespoon for rolling the dough out. Switch the food processor on, and drop the apricots down the chute. As the apricots are blended, a dough-like consistency will form. If it doesn’t, add some of the soak water from the apricots. Once it’s formed into a ball, switch the machine off and remove the dough from the bowl.
Place some flour onto a chopping board. Put the dough on this, and then add some more flour onto the dough. Start to flatten and roll the dough, as you would any other dough until it’s about seven inches round. Once rolled, place it on a dehydrator tray, and dehydrate for 4-6 hours, turning once.
Once dehydrated (firm, but not crisp), remove the base from the tray and place on a serving plate.
To assemble
Pour the chocolate sauce onto the base. Slice the strawberry into eight pieces and arrange in a circle. Cut the grapes and physalis into halves and place these on the pizza. Put the cashews in the middle. Grate some apple over the top of all of this.
Ah, these are so yummy. They’re big, too, so have one as a whole meal! Serves 6.
1 cup of dry oat groats
1 cup of dry pecan nuts
1 teaspoon of golden flax seed
40 dried apricots, soaked for 8-24 hours
4 tablespoons of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
30 extra pecans
6 teaspoons of raw agave nectar
Grind the pecans, flax and oat groats into a fine “flour”, using a Nutri-Bullet, Vita-Mix dry jug or in a coffee mill. Transfer to a food processor, saving about a tablespoon for rolling the dough out. Switch the food processor on, and drop 15 of the apricots down the chute. As the apricots are blended, a dough-like consistency will form. If it doesn’t, add some of the soak water from the apricots. Once it’s formed into a ball, switch the machine off and remove the dough from the bowl.
Place some flour onto a chopping board. Put the dough on this, and then add some more flour onto the dough. Start to flatten and roll the dough, as you would any other dough. Make it about a quarter of an inch thick. Once rolled, cut six circles out which are big enough to fill deep, three or four inch pie dishes. Add cling film (Saran wrap) to the dishes. Press the pastry into the pie dishes, and cut the edges off. Flute the edges.
Place these pies in a dehydrator for two hours. The pastry will harden slightly. Carefully remove the pastry from the trays, by turning them upside down. Remove the cling film. Removing them like this enables more warm air to reach the underside of the pastry, and crisps it up. Put the formed shells back on a dehydrator tray and dehydrate for two more hours.
When your pastry shells are ready, remove them from the dehydrator and put them to one side.
Using a hand blender, mix the remaining apricots with the chocolate powder. Transfer equal amounts of that to each pastry shell. Top with five pecans each. Drizzle over a teaspoon of agave nectar on each pie. Dehydrate these for a further hour or two to warm through. Serve with some gorgeous ice cream!
The Queen of Hearts, she made some tarts, but didn’t want them strawberry-red, so painted them chocolate-brown instead. Makes 12.
1 cup of dry oat groats
1 cup of dry almonds
1 teaspoon of golden flax seed
15 dried apricots, soaked for 4-6 hours
1 serving of Dark Chocolate Sauce (see this page)
Grind the almonds, flax and oat groats into a fine “flour”, using a Vita-Mix dry jug or in a coffee mill. Transfer to a food processor, saving about one tablespoon for rolling the dough out. Switch the food processor on, and drop 15 of the apricots down the chute. As the apricots are blended, a dough-like consistency will form. If it doesn’t, add some of the soak water from the apricots. Once it’s formed into a ball, switch the machine off and remove the dough from the bowl.
Place some flour onto a chopping board. Put the dough on this, and then add some more flour onto the dough. Start to flatten and roll the dough, as you would any other dough. Make it about 4mm thick. Once rolled, cut twelve circles out with a biscuit cutter. Add cling film (Saran wrap) to a tart/bun tray. Place the pastry into the tray.
Place this in a dehydrator for 2 hours. The pastry will harden slightly. Carefully remove the pastries from the dish and remove the cling film. Removing them like this enables more warm air to reach the underside of the pastry, and crisps it up. Put the pastries back on a dehydrator tray and dehydrate for one more hour.
When your pastry shells are ready, remove them from the dehydrator and pour equal amounts of Dark Chocolate Sauce into them.
These make great little aperitifs. They are quite strong in flavour, so nibble delicately! Makes 24.
1 cup of raisins, soaked
½ a cup of walnuts, soaked
Crushed hazelnuts, dry
½ a cup of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
12 kumquats
Blend the raisins and walnuts until the mixture is a mouldable consistency. Add the chocolate powder. Roll into oblong balls and then roll onto the crushed hazelnuts until they’re covered.
Cut each kumquat in half, and scoop or cut out the bitter flesh. Place an oblong ball into each kumquat half. Arrange on a plate and serve.
We love to serve this with apple wedges! You can also spread it on sweet potatoes, sandwich it between bananas, or spread it on someone you love! This is another recipe we keep as a staple in our fridges.
1 cup of raw almond butter
2 dessertspoons of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
¼ cup of raw agave nectar
Mix all ingredients together with a fork and you’re ready to paint the town brown!
These are the sweetest little sweeties that we make. Full of goodness, taste and love. Makes about 40 yum-yums.
1 cup of dry almonds
Skin of 1 kumquat, or 1 dessertspoon of orange peel
25 dates, stoned
1 serving of Choco-Nut Spread (see this page)
¼ cup of raw agave nectar
1 teaspoon of mixed spice
Finely shred the kumquat skin. Add all ingredients to a food processor and process until the mixture forms a ball. If the mixture doesn’t look like it’s going to stick together, add more agave nectar.
Turn the mixture out onto a chopping board, and roll out to an 8 mm thick square with a rolling pin. It won’t need any “flour” as the agave nectar stops the mixture from sticking. Cut into 2 cm squares and pile on a plate. These are delicious as they are, and also great when put in the fridge or freezer for a while.
This has a really intense flavour, and will give you a chocolate kick up the bottom unlike any other chocolate sorbet does! Serves 4.
½ cup of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
½ cup of water
½ cup of agave nectar
½ a vanilla pod
2 cups of frozen strawberries and/or raspberries
Thaw the fruit for five minutes to make it easier to blend. Split the vanilla down the middle and scrape the seeds into the blender. Discard the skin, or add to a bottle of agave nectar to make it vanilla flavoured!
Add all the other ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth. Put in the freezer until you need it. I decorate this with a touch of flaked coconut.
Crust
1.5 cups of sunflower seeds
1 cup of raisins
Half an orange
1 thin slice of lemon, including the skin (discard any pips)
2 tablespoons of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
Filling
4 large apples, peeled and cored
¾ cup of agave nectar
1 dessertspoon of cinnamon powder
Pinch of cloves powder
½ lemon
Decoration
Dried coconut, finely shredded
Thin slices of apple
Ice cream (use one from this book!)
Raw agave nectar
Cinnamon powder
Juice the orange and discard the skin and pulp. Place all the crust ingredients in a food processor until finely ground and the mixture sticks together.
Press the mixture into an eight inch pie dish. Form the crust, pushing it right up to the edges.
To make the filling
Juice the lemon. Process half the apples for about a minute in the food processor. Add the rest of the apples and all the other filling ingredients. Process again until everything’s mixed and chopped into small pieces, but not mushed (you process the apples in two stages to create texture).
Put this mixture into a sieve to strain the excess juice off. Keep this juice.
Put the mixture into the pie crust and smooth it out. It should come to just below the pie crust. Put this pie into the fridge or freezer to set for about an hour.
Hint: Line the dish with cling film (Saran wrap), and put cling film on top of the crust mix, too. This makes it easier to flatten out evenly, and it doesn’t stick to the tin when you remove the pie.
To complete
Add thin slices of apple and the other decoration ingredients and serve. If you like, spoon over some of the left over liquid from the apple mixture or use it in another recipe.
Makes about 24 little cakes. Make sure you share them!
2 dessertspoons of raw tahini
2.5 cups of dry almonds
2 tablespoons of raw agave nectar or yacon root syrup
5 dates, stoned
1 dessertpoon of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
2 tablespoons of dried, finely shredded coconut
1 dessertspoon of coconut oil/butter
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of cinnamon
1 dessertspoon of cold-pressed flax oil
1 dessertspoon of cold-pressed olive oil
¼ teaspoon of Celtic sea salt or Himalayan pink rock salt
Mill two cups of almonds into a “flour” using the Vita-Mix dry jug or a coffee mill. Chop the dates. Add all the ingredients to a food processor and blend until it sticks together and still has bits in it. Place the mixture on a shallow tray, flatten it out, cut into squares and serve or store in the fridge.
Hint: Line the tin with cling film (Saran wrap), and put cling film on top of the cake mix, too. This makes it easier to flatten out evenly, and it doesn’t stick to the tin when you remove the cakes.
Yes, we know there’s no chocolate in here (though if you add a spoonful of it and some agave or yacon syrup, you’ll get a great chocolate mylk!). However, we use almond mylk in several recipes, so you need to know how to make it. It’s easy and will last for 3 days in the fridge. Just shake it before use. Add a couple of drops of angstrom/ionic silver to prolong the shelf life. Makes about 1 litre.
2 cups of almonds, soaked in water overnight
1 litre of your preferred water
Raw agave nectar or yacon root syrup (optional)
Put the almonds in a blender and add half the water. Blend until the almonds are pulverised. Pour this mixture into a large clean jug, through a fine strain (Shazzie uses a clean pop-sock!).
Put the almond meal back into the blender and pour the remaining water into the blender. Blend and strain as before. Add the agave nectar if you wish.
You can discard the leftover meal or use it as a pie base in another recipe.
Pour the mylk into clean jars and seal them.
Makes 1 serving, to add to any of the sweet recipes in this book.
2 cups of dry cashew nuts
1 cup of young coconut water (or orange juice as a substitute)
1 dessertspoon of raw agave nectar or yacon root syrup
2 inches of fresh vanilla pod
Blend all the ingredients using either a hand blender or a Nutri-Bullet. Strain through a nut milk bag if you like, to remove any vanilla parts. To make more like double cream, use more nuts or less liquid. If your blender isn’t very strong, you may wish to just use the vanilla seeds from inside the pod.
Ahhh. Remember those lovely fizyy, cold, creamy dreamy drinks of yesteryear? Well, we have a choccie one for you to go bonkers on! Serves 2.
1 pint of good carbonated water
Water from 1 young coconut
1 tablespoon of raw agave nectar
½ lemon
Pinch of nutmeg
1 banana, peeled and frozen overnight
1 dessertspoon of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
1 teaspoon of Dark Chocolate Sauce (optional)
Process the banana and chocolate powder as you would for the Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream recipe (see this page). Juice the lemon, discarding the pulp and skin. In a blender, blend the coconut water, agave nectar and lemon juice together. Pour the fizzy water into the blender and mix this in with a spoon (do not blend it — It’ll fizz up all over the place). Pour this into long, cool glasses and add equal amounts of banana ice cream on top. Add some nutmeg, drizzle over the chocolate sauce, and serve with a long spoon, straw and a lovely smile.
You need some lolly moulds for this, but if you don’t have any, you can pour the mixture into ice cube trays and make finger-lollies. Makes 6 chollies.
2 large oranges
1 tablespoon of chocolate powder (crushed cacao beans or nibs)
1 dessertspoon of coconut oil/butter
Pinch of paprika
10 dates, stoned
Juice the oranges and discard the skins and pulp. Blend all the ingredients thoroughly, pour into the lolly moulds and freeze.
